Large Shelf/Incline Plane showing parabolic arc, ball bearing

 

Code Number: 1D60.55

Demo Title: Parabolic Trajectory on an Incline Plane

Condition: Good

Principle: Gravitational Acceleration vs Horizontal Velocity

Area of Study: Mechanics

Equipment:

1" Ball Bearings, Ball Launcher, Large Shelf/Incline Plane, Grid Paper, and Carbon Paper.

Procedure:

Tape the grid and the carbon paper onto the incline plane and set at the desired angle.  Launch the ball from the desired height on the ball launcher.  Most likely you will not get a continuous line, but instead a series of dots as the ball travels down in a parabolic arc.  You can dispense with the carbon paper in a messier way.  Dip the ball in some ink before you roll it down the incline.  A large sheet of white paper can then be used to make the trace. 

References:

  • Jennifer L. Burris, Brooke C. Hester, and Karl C. Mamola, "The Two-Bullet Problem with Constant Magnitude Drag Force", TPT, Vol. 56, #6, Sept. 2018, p. 340.
  • Willem H. van den Berg and Andrea R. Burbank, "Sliding Off a Roof: How Does the Landing Point Depend on the Steepness?", TPT, Vol. 40, #2, Feb. 2002, p. 84.
  • Jaime R. Taylor, Arthur W. Carpenter, and Patrick H. Bunton, "Conservation of Energy with a Rubber Ramp", TPT, Vol. 35, #3, Mar. 1997, p. 146.
  • John E. Beach, "A New Old Trajectory Experiment", TPT, Vol. 34, #8, Nov. 1996, p. 522.
  • Thomas B. Greenslade, Jr., "Packard's Apparatus", TPT, Vol. 34, #3, Mar. 1996, p. 156.
  • Lars Ostrup Petersen and Uffe Justesen, "Experimental Introduction to Moving Bodies", TPT, Vol. 34, #2, Feb. 1996, p. 104.
  • Walter Connolly, "Projectile Motion Board", TPT, Vol. 24, #8, Nov. 1986, p. 495.
  • Richard B. Minnix and D. Rae Carpenter Jr., "Air Table Experiments Without An Air Table", TPT, Vol. 23, #2, Feb. 1985, p. 113.
  • William P. Brown, "Monkey and Hunter in Slow Motion", TPT, Vol. 15, #6, Sept. 1977, p. 368.
  • R. A. Bachman, "Sphere Rolling Down a Grooved Track", AJP, Vol. 53, #8, Aug. 1985, p. 765.
  • A. P. French, "Projectile Range on an Inclined Plane", AJP, Vol. 52, #4, Apr. 1984, p. 299.
  • Stillman Drake and James MacLachlan, "Galileo's Discovery of the Parabolic Trajectory", Scientific American, March 1975, p. 102.
  • Robert Ehrlich, "5.4, Projectile Trajectory on an Incline, "Why Toast Lands Jelly-Side Down, p. 87 - 89.
  • Robert Ehrlich, "A.4, Rolling Balls on a Vibrating Plate", Turning the World Inside Out, p. 8 - 11.
  • Janice VanCleave, "Elliptical", Astronomy for Every Kid - 101 Easy Experiments That Really Work, p. 66 - 67.
  • R. A. Egler, "Simple Conversation of Energy Experiment for Introductory Labs", p. 8.
  • "5. Falling Bodies on an Inclined Plane and the Disjunction Operations", p. 80 - 81.
  • Joseph Frick, "#116 - Motion of Projectiles", Physical Technics: Or, Practical Instructions for Making Experiments in Physics and the Construction of Physical Apparatus with the Most Limited Means", p. 136.

1D60.55 - Parabolic Trajectory on an Incline Plane